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Thursday, May 5, 2011

The Capital Grille–I never knew Capitalism Tasted this Good

I'm embarrassed to say, being a food lover for most of my life, I have never been to a high-end steakhouse. Houston's and Fogo De Chao seemed like the "highest-ended" steakhouse I've visited so far. So I didn't know what to expect at The Capital Grille.

When I walked in, I saw that everything looked fancy. I knew the dress code said "dressy," but I didn't take it too seriously. I wore some nice slacks and a dress shirt, but I still felt underdressed. I did see one table where they dressed business casual, but most men dressed in suits. If you want to fit in, wear a suit.

The reason they call this place "Capital Grille" is because of all the famous portraits of capitalists they have on the wall. But they assured us they had no political affiliation. It's just a gimmick. Maybe someone should open a competitor called "Marxist Grille."

The Non-Important Food

When we sat down, they gave us some free bread. The basket of bread included several types of bread. I didn't eat too much bread because I was saving room for the steak. But the breads I sampled tasted good.

Good bread but save room for the appetizers and the main entree.

The appetizers felt tiny to me. I asked our server if that's the case for all of their appetizers. He said some of them had bigger portions.

I guess it's okay. Appetizers shouldn't be a whole meal anyway. I know at some places, when you order an appetizer, it's sometimes bigger than their entrees. At Capital Grille, however, it felt like the appetizers were a bit overpriced for the quality and quantity I got.

Lobster Fritter.

For example, the Oysters in a Half Shell looked like the smallest oysters I've ever seen. It also had some chips of shell in the meat. So I didn't enjoy it. But at least they tasted fresh. The cocktail sauce tasted fine too.

Oysters in a Half Shell, oyster power!

The Best Part of the Resturant: Their Steaks.

Even though the appetizers felt small enough to piss me off, the main entrees seemed like the perfect size. I ordered their special: the 3 fillet medallions with 3 different types of rubs and sauces.

One had 12 year aged balsamic vinegar. I liked this one the best. I loved the taste of the balsamic vinegar they used. It provided a nice taste to my already juicy steak.

The other had a coffee rub with caramelized shallot butter. This was a close second. My server looked shocked when I told him I liked this one as well. I guess if you're not a coffee fan, you won't like this. But I loved it.

The other one had some sort of aged blue cheese and cajun sauce. It tasted good, but I didn't like it as much as the other two. I'm not fan of blue cheese, and the blue cheese spread tasted too strong for me.

I'm glad I ordered this dish because I got to try out their different kinds of rubs they put on their steaks. It also provided a nice variety.

12 Year Old Aged Balsamic Vinegar, Kona Rub, Blue Cheese and Cajun

Mrs. Kitty ordered the Seared Tenderloin with Butter Poached lobster. Her dish was high quality and delicious. The lobsters were a great touch. I also liked the mashed potatoes in the middle.

Tenderloin with butter poached lobster.

We also ordered some haricots verts with roasted tomatoes and fennel. It made a great side dish to the meat. I like haricots verts, so I had nothing to complain. They were cooked perfectly.

Green beans with fennel and tomatoes.

Pretty High Quality Place

Capital Grille seemed like a top notch steakhouse. They treated us like royalty. I sometimes felt a bit guilty on how well they treated us.

Capital Grille made their steaks very well. We got the fillets, so I didn't get to experience their dry aged steaks. But I'm sure they're also high quality.

Our fillets were the best fillet mignon I've tasted. They cooked it at a perfect medium rare. They were like butter, soft and tender.

I enjoyed the steak here. They were one of the best I've had in my life. Now I need to try out the other high end steak places in Atlanta and see how they compare. For now, Mr. Kitty gives Capital Grille 4.5 paws up.